


Working Together (To The Tune of a Children's Show)

by verboseDescription



Category: Sense8 (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, and kind of turned into a small infodump about headcanons, autistic characters, neurodivergent characters, this got longer then I expected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-14 06:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4554462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verboseDescription/pseuds/verboseDescription
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first thing they figure out about themselves is that they aren't normal.<br/>The first thing Jonas tells them is that they are something special and if they work together, they can change the world.<br/>But first, they need to set up some ground rules.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reasons to Add me on Google+

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KayleeFrye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayleeFrye/gifts).



The thing Lito hates the most about being famous is how many cameras it involves.

He can handle being filmed just fine, it’s his job, but the paparazzi? _Ugh._ He would call them the bane of his existence, but he feels like that’ll make it a self-fulfilling prophecy and he won’t get to do anything fun for the rest of his life because everyone will be too busy yelling at him about _Hernando._

If he’s being honest with himself, he does enjoy being out. Everyone knows he likes to kiss men, so what’s stopping him from kissing his boyfriend, in front of everyone? Nothing, that’s what.

So that part’s fun.

Having people constantly ask him if he thinks he’s going to hell is significantly less fun, though.

He’s never had to deal with people being rude towards _him_ for something like that. Of course he knew it happened. It just never happened to him _._ So he’s not sure what to do. He doesn’t really have the scripts for it.

“Just ignore them,” Nomi advises, “They’ll probably get tired of it eventually, and even if they don’t there’s really nothing you can do.”

“You’re very encouraging,” Lito replies. He doesn’t want to hear that things won’t get better.

“I can’t promise you that things will change,” Nomi says, “I know for a fact that some things really don’t. What I can do is hack some of the websites ruining your good name.”

Lito considers this.

“Make it comic sans,” He says. Nomi laughs.

“I promise you you’ll like what I do,” She says. Lito likes the way Nomi’s face changes. It’s a very specific kind of smirk, and he makes a mental note of it in case he ever needs to use it in his acting. And then they go outside.

He _hates_ flashing lights. He hates paparazzi. Normally, he can get through it just by gritting his teeth and cursing the world, but there’s just _so many of them._

He suspects it’s because he hasn’t given an “official” statement about his relationship with Hernando—but what else is there to _say?_ Hernando’s the love of his life and he is in no way ashamed of him, but he would have preferred it if his sex life was kept private. Apparently, this isn’t enough for some people.

He hopes they all wake up one morning to a swarm of angry bird chittering in their ears, screaming out words that make no sense until they finally apologize for their sins.

He just really hates cameras. It’s giving him a headache and he doesn’t like it and—

\--they keep _looking_ at him. Why are they doing this? What do they see that he can’t why isn’t there something he can do to _fix it?_ And ohmygodtheythinkhe’ssomesortofdeviant. It’s not that, of course, it can’t be but they’regoingtomakehimseemlikea _freak_ hedoesn’twantthat. He needs _help._

He’s panicking. He knows this. It takes everything inside him not to suddenly _scream_ at everyone around him. Instead he runs to his car and hyperventilates.

He’s never really had a meltdown like this. Lito squirms and starts twisting his hands and running them through his hair, but it doesn’t help. His headache is going away, but not the feeling of impending doom.

Nomi sits in the passenger’s seat. (Or are they hiding in the girl’s bathroom?)

“I’m sorry,” She says. There’s tears in her eyes, “I just, I had a panic attack. I guess you got caught up in it because I talked to you earlier? I didn’t mean to. Are you okay?”

Lito moans. He is not okay. If Nomi hadn’t come around, he wouldn’t have had a meltdown, just a headache. He can’t deal with her pain on top of his own.

“Almost,” Lito replies, “You?”

“I feel about as fine as I look,” Nomi says, wiping her face, “I could have handled it alone, you know? I’m used to my own problems, but that was just like, so much.”

“It may happen again,” Lito realizes, and they both wince.

“You’re going to give me your email,” Nomi demands, “Everyone is. And we’re making a googledoc. And everyone’s going to write down how they cope with their problems. At least we’ll know what to do then.”

“That is a good idea,” Lito agrees, “Are you feeling alright now?”

“I’ll be fine,” Nomi shrugs, “I think it was mostly my fault anyways. I mean, I started freaking out after I got a headache and then I made what happened to you about ten times worse.”

“We’ll learn from our mistake,” Lito shrugs. He’s feeling mostly better, so he starts driving to work.

“I’ll make this up to you, I promise,” Nomi says.

 

Daniella texts him the next morning and sends him a couple links. She calls it an “incredible and random act of kindness, or maybe just luck and a troll.”

It takes Lito a while to stop laughing. With a website like that, no one’s going to take those newspapers seriously for a while.


	2. A Moment to Think

By now, they all know how different they are. They’re _sensates._ Jonas says it means they experience the world differently. That they’re the future.

But all Nomi can think about is seeing her brain scan at the hospital and thinking how now, her mother had proof that she wasn’t normal. But it wasn’t like she’d ever been normal in her mother’s eyes, anyways.

This is where Lito yells. Nomi can tell it’s not meant to be frightening, but it is definitely startling.

“Who _cares_ about being normal?” He demands, “You are you! And you are a woman who has an admirable amount of talent and that is all you need to be! If your mother cannot see that, it is by no fault of yours!”

Lito huffs and suddenly he reminds Nomi of an angry puppy. It cheers her up.

“I think you would make a great motivational speaker,” She teases.

Lito huffs. He apologizes. He says that he hates when people are held to some ridiculous standard of normality. He thinks it’s partly because he’s autistic. And gay.

This is where Riley pops in to add that Nomi is just fine as she is and that normal’s overrated. Anyways, if Nomi wasn’t normal then neither was she; Riley had been diagnosed with PTSD and depression almost immediately after her husband died.

That’s not really what Nomi meant, of course.

“No, it’s fine,” Nomi smiles, “I appreciate it.”

“What’s it like being autistic?” Riley asks Lito, “All I know about autism is that friend of mine said that his girlfriend was, but she insisted she was just Australian.”

“That makes no sense,” Lito replies, “Australia is a large place. You can be both.”

“Maybe she didn’t want me to know.”

The two faded from Nomi’s view as they continued their conversation, but Amanita comes in and asks what’s up.

“Just wondering something,” Nomi replies.


	3. An Array of Noises

Kala is trying to have a nice walk through town when she hears bells ringing and suddenly, she feels like she needs an Advil and a very long nap.

“Sorry,” Wolfgang says. Kala blinks and she’s in a different town with murky weather and—ah. That would explain the bell.  She didn’t think Wolfgang was religious. Maybe he was lost?

“You can feel it, can’t you?” He adds, “It’s misophonia. Sometimes sounds are just… too much.”

“This is horrible,” Kala replies, “Does it always feel like this for you?”

“Bells always feel like this for me,” Wolfgang smiles at her, “Come on, let’s go somewhere nicer.”

“Why are you at a church anyways?” Kala grumbles, “It hardly seems like you.”

“Maybe there was someone I needed to kill,” He says this lightly, as if it was a joke. Kala squints at him. She is never really sure when anyone is joking. She hopes he is.

Before she can say anything, she hears someone shouting back in India. Wolfgang and Kala both turn.

It’s nothing special, just a small party of friends, but Kala can tell she’s back in her own head because it sounds like a wonderful song.

“Is this what it always feels like to be you?” Wolfgang asks. He’s grinning. Is this the first time he’s enjoyed being out in public? Kala feels it might be.

“Sometimes,” Kala replies. She has things that make her feel the same way Wolfgang does, but it’s never been sound.

 She thinks he might be luckier then she is, in that sense: all he has to do is put on headphones.


	4. A Quiet Realization

“I’m autistic,” Riley says to herself.

“You’re autistic,” Lito agrees.

“So was Angelica,” Will says. He doesn’t see Lito, but he does see Riley. For once, they’re actually in the same space. It’s a nice change of pace.

“Wasn’t that the woman we all saw die?” Riley’s face wrinkles.

“I do not know about you,” Lito tells her, “But I hope fate has something a bit happier for me.”

“I was looking into her a little,” Will continues, “Since Jonas was talking about her so much, I wanted to know what she was like.”

“And?” Riley presses.

“She was a good person. There’s not that much about her online, but Jonas told me a bit about her too,” Will smiles, “He told me the most random story in the world about her love of dogs. Apparently, she used to work at a pet shelter. She claimed it was the closest she’d get to adopting all of the animals there.”

“How sweet.” Riley tries to imagine it, but she’s not sure if she can. The Angel she saw was a desperate woman, not a giggling girl being greeted every day by wagging tails and dog slobber and loving every minute of her life.

“He said they all loved her,” Will continues “She was a good person, I guess. And she lived the life she wanted to.”

“But she didn’t finish it the way she expected,” Riley murmurs. Lito is still with them.

“Life is full of surprises,” He says quietly, “We must be thankful for the small things. I’m sure, while her last moments may have been filled with regret, she was still unknowably thankful for the presence of a friend.”


	5. Catching Worries Like a Common Cold

Capheus is worrying. He’s not entirely sure why, actually, but everything seems so _frightening_ all of a sudden.

What he can’t get more drugs for his mother? What if she gets _worse?_

What if he can’t get more money and what if he can’t afford to keep _anything?_

_What if the Van Damne gets stolen again?_

There’s no reason for him to be worried. Especially about the last thing, he knows how to get his car back by now.

Why is he worrying, anyways? He never worries. It doesn’t do him any good.

He hears a sigh coming from his bed. Kala looks at him apologetically.

“I’m sorry,” She says, “I worry about everything. Especially now… I’m still not sure what to do about my wedding.”

“You’re getting married?” Capheus asks. Kala gives him such a mournful look he decides not to congratulate her.

“Can you still feel it?” Kala says, “My anxiety? I don’t want to make you worried.”

“It’s better now that I’m talking to you,” Capheus replies. Kala looks at him, relieved.

“Me too,” She says, “But… Didn’t Nomi get your email? She wanted us to share how we cope and everything, so something like this wouldn’t happen.”

The two stare at each other for a moment.

“I don’t have a computer,” Capheus replies.

“I cannot believe we never thought of that,” Kala says, “Wait for a second, I’ll read the list to you. It’s too bad we didn’t think of this sooner, but I guess at least it’s good you don’t really have any problems to write down.”

“ _I_ don’t have any problems?” Capheus laughs, “I saved a _drug lord_ from another one who was threatening his daughter. Actually, with all the people Sun helped me kill, I’m basically a marked man.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Kala protests, “I mean, you’re always so happy I didn’t think anything was bothering you, especially not like _that_ , but I was speaking more of… neurological differences.”

“It’s fine,” Capheus smiles. It’s not really, but he feels it’s the wrong time to point out that everyone only comes to see him to cheer themselves up.

“Now, what was that list you were talking about?”


	6. Everybody Talks

Thanks to Nomi, they all—or most of them at least—have a way of contacting each other that isn’t sharing a brain. It also means that Amanita, Daniela and Hernado can meet the sensates.

It also means that Daniela and Amanita can meet each other.

“So you’re on the run from the cops?” Daniela asks, “That’s so badass. I’m impressed.”

“Oh, I know it _sounds_ impressive,” Amanita laughs, “But we basically just got caught up in a big mess and there wasn’t any legal way of getting out.”

“Hey, you’re a wanted girl. Don’t be modest,” Daniela teases, “Hernando and I are just getting caught up in this whole ‘sensation’ business, but you’ve been supporting your girlfriend this whole time. I feel like it’s a… what’s the word? You just fit with the story better than I do.”

“They’re sensates,” Amanita corrects, “And it isn’t your fault that you couldn’t help. You had your own stuff you were dealing with. And now that you know, you can help.”

“What a nice girl you are,” Daniela smiles, even though she knows Amanita won’t be able to see it since they’re on the phone.

“Girl? Um, I’m pretty sure I’m like, a _year_ younger then you,” Amanita scoffs.

“So many things can happen in a year!” Daniela insists. Then she hesitates.

“Dani?”

“It’s nothing!” Daniela replies, but she knows she’s said it too quick and Amanita’s nice enough not to say anything, but she’s perceptive enough to hear something’s wrong, “It’s just… do you ever wish you had something like that? A group of friends who could help you in your time of need?”

“Who wouldn’t?” Amanita snorts, “I mean, aside from that weird Whispers guy, being a cluster sound kind of like a weird family.”

 _“Un familia que todos ayudame,”_ Daniela mutters.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. But,” Daniela sighs, “we won’t ever have anything like they do. No matter how much we need it.”

Amanita doesn’t say anything. Daniela’s glad for it. She feels a bit embarrassed talking about all of this to someone she hardly knows. The main reason she wanted to talk to Amanita was to practice her English, but now she couldn’t stop thinking about Joaquin. He wasn’t her first boyfriend who turned out to be a douchebag. She could just never tell those kinds of things until it was too late for her to back away. And her family wouldn’t help her. They never did.

They were one of the reasons she never felt like she could even _say_ the word “no.”

“Maybe we won’t have something like that,” Amanita says slowly, “But we can always put our friends on speed dial.”

Daniela laughs.

“I guess that would be the next best thing.”


	7. As Calming as a Cat Napping in the Sun

Sun actually enjoys jail quite a bit. Everything is meant to happen at a set time, and if you’re too loud, you will most likely get in trouble. There’s also a surprisingly large amount of tea.

The guards are horrible people, but she’s encountered horrible people everywhere.

All in all, she’s having a pretty good time. Especially now that she’s painting a new picture of her dog, one that hopefully won’t be ruined.

The chatter of the other inmates aren’t really even bothering her anymore, and the feeling of her brush gliding across the wall feels just as relaxing as a bubble bath.

Next to her, Kala sighs happily.

(Or maybe they’re just sitting in a restaurant watching the stars?)

“Normally, the chatter around us would bother me,” Sun says, “But today it feels pretty soothing.”

“Oh, I think that’s me,” Kala admits, “I _love_ crowds. They’re so nice. I never knew painting could be so relaxing though. I think I might have to try sometime on my own.”

“It can be frustrating too,” Sun warns, “If your art doesn’t come out how you wanted it to, or someone ruins it.”

“Oh, I have no doubt!” Kala agrees, “But I want to see if it feels the same for me. Oh! You don’t have a computer either, do you? So you don’t know about the list either.”

“What list?”

“It was Nomi’s idea,” Kala explains, “Lito’s autistic, and her anxiety kind of gave him a meltdown, so they wanted to prevent anything like that from happening again. So they made a googledoc! It’s supposed to have everything that might affect the others and how to help them through it.”

“That sounds very smart,” Sun says, “I’m autistic too, so I am sure that Lito has covered pretty much anything that might affect me as well.”

“I’m sure he hasn’t covered _everything,”_ Kala replies, “I mean, I have sensory processing disorder like him because of my ADHD, and we’re very different about it. How about I read what we have to you, and we’ll see what you can add?”

“That sounds smart,” Sun agrees.

One of the guards yell at her to stop muttering to herself and threatens to put her in solitary confinement until she can “act like a normal person again.” Sun just blinks at the guard. Sun has a sneaking suspicion that the constant blankness of her face is going to inspire the wrath of approximately half of the prison, but she honestly doesn’t have the energy to force herself to cower.

She had done enough of that outside of prison, anyways.

“Maybe I should come back later?” Kala suggest. Sun nods. She considers telling Kala she’s not taking the yelling to heart, but she also really doesn’t want to go to solitary confinement again.

Kala says her goodbyes and Sun examines the painting she made of her dog. It was almost finished, but it looked like it was missing something.

“I guess you’re not going to paint your family with him?” Soo-Jin teases.

“Of course not,” Sun replies, but it gives her an idea. She paints the only one in her family she’d trust to walk her dog.

Her mother.


	8. Memories of The Past

_Angelica Turing looks at the dog in front of her and sighs. He’s such a sweetie and no one seems to see it but her. She’d adopt him if she could, but she doesn’t have the money to care for another dog. It occurs to her that if she tries to send her sadness to the others, one of them might pity her enough to fly over and buy him_ for _her, but she’s pretty sure that counts as abusing her power._

_Instead, she lovingly strokes his fur and coos about how great of a dog he is._

_Some of her coworkers think she’s too attached to the animals, but she thinks they’re being ridiculous. After all, they’re living creatures just like she is! They deserved respect, but more importantly, they deserved a good life. And they deserve love._

_“Don’t worry sweetie,” Angelica hums, “Everything will turn out okay, I promise. And no matter how dark or scary a storm gets, the sun will always come back soon.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes:  
> The person who plays Angelica Turing is actually autistic.  
> Wolfgang isn't autistic. My personal headcanon is that he's probably neurodivergent because he's faced abuse by his father.  
> Also, what Daniela's says in Spanish is "a family that would always help me."  
> I felt like this wouldn't work as well with as a oneshot so I added chapters. I hope you enjoyed it!


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